Photo gallery: 2017 US national cyclocross championships

Photos by Wil Matthews

WOMEN'S CYCLING BROUGHT TO YOU BY ORBEA

Snow and ice, several crashes, a front puncture on the last lap, and a snapped rear-derailleur hanger in the final 300 metres of the race couldn’t stop Stephen Hyde from soloing to his first U.S. national cyclocross title Sunday in Hartford, Connecticut.

The Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com rider, who came into nationals as the hot favorite while enjoying his best season to date, overcame a first-lap bobble to fight his way into the front group, and then rode away from four chasers on a slick, treacherous course that almost certainly saw every rider touch the ground at least once.

Hyde’s win was never assured, however, as he held a tenuous gap of 20 seconds over Jamey Driscoll (Clement) into the last of nine laps on a course littered with frozen ruts covered by snow.

On the final hill of the course, which descended onto the paved start/finish straight, Hyde lost control and crashed on his drive side, snapping the rear derailleur hanger and forcing him to run the final icy section before remounting. He coasted onto the pavement, looked over his shoulder, dismounted, and ran the bike across the finish line, celebrating and hoisting the bike into the air as Driscoll flew past two seconds later to take the silver medal.

In the women’s race, Katie Compton (KFC-Trek-Panache) took a 13th straight national cyclocross champion title. Kaitie Antonneau (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) took the holeshot but it was Elle Anderson (Elle Anderson Racing) who took the lead in the first lap, making Compton chase. Before the first lap was over, Compton powered past Anderson to take the lead.

As Anderson was choosing to run up the hills, Compton was able to ride them and extend her lead bit by bit. The 38-year-old stayed on the front and was never in danger of losing her lead, and so the battle became for second place. After taking a spill, Anderson started slipping backwards, allowing last year’s bronze medalist Kaitie Antonneau and Amanda Miller (Boulder Cycle Sport-YogaGlo) to pass her.

Miller took over the chase, trying to decrease the gap to Compton, but Antonneau was never far behind. With two laps to go, the battle of the day was shaping up to be between Antonneau and Miller as Compton extended her lead to a minute. Miller stayed clear from Antonneau, coming in second, and Antonneau took bronze for a second year in a row. Anderson and Courtenay McFadden (American Classic) rounded out the podium, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

“It was a technical, tricky course,” commented Compton after the race. “This felt really good. [All national wins] are special and it felt really good to win today.”

Mindy McCutcheon (DNA Cotton Sox) won the Women’s Singlespeed Championship on Saturday in near whiteout conditions.

Wisconsinite Issac Neff (Neff Cycle Service) used his familiarity with frozen, snowy conditions to his advantage in successfully defending his Singlespeed title. Conditions from before the start to after the finish were just short of a blizzard.

Denzel Stephenson (Boulder Junior Cycling) led the Juniors 17-18 race from wire-to-wire, much as he has all season.

The Juniors 17-18 field has apparently been studying their geometry, as the entire field opted for the hypotenuse line on the “Bonk Breaker Hill” climb, which would prove to be the fastest option all day.

Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing) was the first onto the staging grid for the U23 women’s race following tire and number check.

While warming up for the U23 men’s race, Curtis White congratulated sister and Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com teammate Emma on her silver medal in the U23 women’s race.

The Hartford course featured sweeping views of the ice-filled Connecticut River.

A scrum of photographers enveloped Californian Lance Haidet (Clement) after his U23 victory.